Malone realizes it's a business, but he found out it was more than that in New England, where USC alum Matt Cassel, the Patriots' backup quarterback, gave him a place to stay and was a familiar face to greet him on his arrival 11 weeks into the season.

Then came the playoffs, with the Patriots heading to San Diego to play the Chargers in January. That was the week of USC place-kicker Mario Danelo's death in a fall from a cliff near his San Pedro home.

"When you're on the practice squad, you don't go to away games or even dress for home games," Malone said.

But this was different. The Patriots flew him back home.

"They said that was a family thing," Malone said. "They said I didn't have to practice, so I was able to spend the week with the Danelo family and go to the funeral and then the game. Coach (Bill) Belichick said it was way more important that I do that."